Taking Credit

With thanks to Harry for the great quote

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
~ Harry S Truman

I admit it—I have a bit of an ego. And I love getting the accolades, awards, and praise that feed it. But our company is a lot more successful when we look for ways for everyone to succeed, rather than making it the “Look how amazing Kate is!” show.

As leaders, we are able to do a lot more when we bring out the greatness in our team members, rather than having everyone working to make *us* look awesome. To me, this quote is not about “not caring” overall, it’s about not caring if *I* get the credit. I still need to care that my people feel respected and appreciated for what they do.

Give your people opportunities to shine, and give them full credit when they do. Delegate, empower, encourage, and support them.

Give credit to the team members for their good ideas. Remember who contributed, and make sure you build them up. Give credit up the chain of command and to clients, as well. It’s great to brag about your incredible team.

Be strong enough to take the blame. I used to tell my publishing staffers that they needed to give the bad news to their authors themselves (e.g., “we’re not going to publish your newest manuscript”), but that they could let the authors know that “It was Kate’s call.” It was my call that the company was not going to publish a book that wasn’t good enough, but letting them “throw me under the bus” in the difficult conversations let the staffers maintain their good working and personal relationships with their authors.

Photo credit: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/harry_s_truman_109615